CVE-2010-0780 in WebSphere MQ
Summary
by MITRE
IBM WebSphere MQ 7.x before 7.0.1.4 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (disk consumption) via multiple connection attempts to a stopped queue manager.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/27/2025
IBM WebSphere MQ version 7.x before 7.0.1.4 contains a vulnerability that enables remote attackers to consume excessive disk space through repeated connection attempts to a stopped queue manager. This flaw represents a denial of service condition where the system's storage resources become exhausted due to improper handling of connection requests. The vulnerability specifically manifests when clients attempt to establish connections to queue managers that have been shut down or are in a stopped state, causing the system to persistently log connection attempts and allocate disk space for these failed connection records.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient validation and resource management within the queue manager's connection handling logic. When a client connects to a stopped queue manager, the system fails to properly terminate or discard the connection attempt records, leading to continuous accumulation of disk space usage. This behavior violates the principle of resource cleanup and proper state management that should occur when queue managers are not operational. The flaw operates at the application layer and affects the underlying storage subsystem where connection logs and temporary records are maintained, creating a condition where disk space consumption grows without bounds.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple resource exhaustion, potentially compromising system availability and stability. Attackers can systematically consume available disk space, leading to cascading failures throughout the messaging infrastructure. When disk space becomes exhausted, the queue manager may become unable to process legitimate connection requests, effectively rendering the messaging service unavailable to authorized users. This vulnerability particularly affects environments where queue managers are frequently stopped and restarted, as the accumulation of failed connection records can occur rapidly. The condition can be exploited remotely without requiring authentication, making it a significant threat to system availability and operational continuity.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability involve implementing immediate patching to upgrade to IBM WebSphere MQ 7.0.1.4 or later versions where the issue has been resolved. System administrators should also implement connection rate limiting mechanisms to prevent excessive connection attempts from overwhelming the system. Monitoring solutions should be deployed to track disk space consumption and connection attempt patterns to detect potential exploitation attempts. Network-level controls such as firewall rules and access control lists can help limit connection attempts from suspicious sources. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-400, which covers "Uncontrolled Resource Consumption," and maps to ATT&CK technique T1499.001 for "Storage Consumption," representing a specific implementation of resource exhaustion attacks against messaging systems. Organizations should also implement proper connection management policies and regularly review queue manager configurations to ensure appropriate resource handling during system transitions between operational and stopped states.